Mobile cleaner brush



W65 c. MEZA R012 3,231,878

MOBILE CLEANER BRUSH Filed July 16, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

c0755? 70 44524 ,eo/z,

L 1%6 c. MEZA ROIZ 3281,78

MOBILE CLEANER BRUSH Filed July 16, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LT. LP

INVEN TOR.

CUTBEETO M524 lea/z,

ATTOIQ/VEYS United States Patent 3,281,878 MOBILE CLEANER BRUSH Cutberto Meza Roiz, 1025 A 3rd St., Calexico, Calif. Filed July 16, 1965, Ser. No. 472,513 Claims. (Cl. -22) This invention relates to mechanical brushes, and more particularly to motor driven brushes of the type having oscillating heads.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved mechanical brush device which is relatively simple in construction, which is easy to use, wherein the parts driving the head element are substantially moisture-proof, and which is free of shock hazards.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved electrically operated mechanical brush device which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which is durable in construction, which is compact in size and which is safe to use.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanically driven brush assembly which is of general utility for use in the home or in industry, which employs interchangeable heads so that it may be used for other purposes, such as for massaging or for therapy, as well as for cleansing, which involves only a few parts, and which provides a positive driving action wherein the head element or applicator rotates in one direction and then reverses itself to rotate in the opposite direction, the applicator thereby providing a more efficient scrubbing, cleansing, or massaging action than has been obtainable with devices heretofore employed for analogous purposes.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a mechanical brush assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical cross sectional view taken through the driven .portion of the assembly substantially on the line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 66 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view, partly in cross section, of a massaging head element which may be employed with the apparatus of FIGURES 1 to 6.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates a mechanical brush assembly according to the present invention, said assembly comprising a driven portion consisting of an elongated housing 12 containing a rack bar 13 which is slidably mounted in the housing and constained for longitudinal movement therein by a guide sleeve 14. As shown in FIGURE 3, the housing 12 comprises a bottom segment 15 and a top segment 16 having opposing housing cavities which mate together and which are fastened together at their corners by fastening screws 17, a sealing gasket 18 of suitable resilient deformable material being interposed between the mating edges of the top and bottom housing segments 16 and 15. The guide sleeve 14 is provided with a supporting flange 20 which is secured to the bottom wall of the lower housing segment 15 by a pair of fastening screws 21, 21, as clearly shown in FIGURE 3. The sleeve member 14 slidably receives the rack bar 13, said rack bar being rectangular in cross section and the sleeve 14 being similarly shaped so that the rack bar is slidably but non-rotatably received therein, as shown in FIG- URE 5.

Transversely journaled in the forward end portion of the housing 12 is a vertical shaft 23, the top end of the shaft being received in a bearing bushing 24 provided in a bearing cavity 25 formed in the forward end portion of the top wall of upper housing segment 16, a bearing ball 26 being provided in a central recess in the top end of shaft 23, said bearing ball providing rotative support for the top end of the shaft and acting as a thrust bearing. The lower end portion of the shaft extends through a sleeve bearing 27 provided in the bottom wall of lower housing segment 15, the shaft being provided with a stop collar 28 to maintain the shaft in its normal working position in housing 12. Said shaft has rigidly secured thereon a pinion gear 30 which meshes with the rack teeth 31 of rack bar 13.

The lower portion of shaft 23 projects externally below bottom segment 15 and is provided with a squared extension 32 in which is mounted a conventional springbiased ball detent 33, serving to lock the extension 32 in the squared socket 34 of a rigid circular applicator support member 35. The body 35 is formed with an i11- turned depending peripheral flange 36 which serves as a gripping means for retaining a selected applicator in driving attachment with the body 35. Thus, as shown in FIGURES 1 to 6, a circular brush 37 may be detachably secured to the applicator body 35. The brush unit 37 comprises a rigid main body 3 8 provided with depending flexible brush strands 39, which may be strands of cotton, or other similar fibrous material, and secured to the top surface of the rigid body 38 is a deformable circular body 40 of rubber or similar material, which is wedgingly receivable within the recess defined by the annular inturned peripheral flange 36 of the rigid supporting body 35.

The brush unit 37 may be readily detached by disengaging the deformable resilient circular element 40 from the bottom recess of the rigid body 35, and another applicator may be substituted, for example, a massage applicator such as that illustrated at 42 in FIGURE 7. The massage applicator 42 comprises a suitable main body 43 which may be of molded plastic material, or the like, integrally formed with depending massaging fingers 44 suitably distributed over the bottom area of the circular body 43. Secured to the top surface of the body 43 is a circular pad of resilient deformable material 40, identical to that employed with the brush assembly 37, for detachably securing the attachment 42 in the fastening recess provided in the bottom of body 35.

Vertically journaled in the end of the housing 12 opposite shaft 23 is a crank 50, the bight portion of the crank being drivingly connected by a link bar 51 to the rack bar 13 by means of a vertical connecting pin 52 as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. Rotation of the crank 50 provides a reciprocating movement of the rack bar 13, whereby the driven assembly, for example, the brush unit 37 or the massaging unit 42 is alternately rotated first in one direction and then in the other.

Drivingly connected to the top end 54 of the crank 50 is a flexible shaft 55 which is provided with a provided with a protective flexible housing 56 and which is connected in a conventional manner to a fastening boss 57 formed in the top housing segment 16 and surrounding the upstanding upper end 54 of crank 50. Thus, the end of the protective flexible housing 56 is fastened to the boss 57 by a knurled clamping nut 58.

The flexible shaft 55 is connected to the output shaft of a gear reduction unit 60 mounted on a supporting plate 61. Also mounted on the plate 61 is an electric motor 62 having an output shaft 63 provided with a grooved pulley 64, the pulley 64 being .drivingly coupled by a flexible belt 65 to a stepped pulley unit 66 mounted on the input shaft 67 of the gear reduction unit 60. Thus, the stepped pulley 66, for example, may comprise three steps of different diameters, as shown in FIGURE 2, providing a choice of three input speeds for the gear reduction unit 60, when the electric motor 62 operates at a particular speed. The motor 62 i preferably provided with suitable speed changing means, for example, with a speed selecting switch unit 70 having a control lever 71 to which is connected a suitable pull cable 72 which may be manually operated to adjust the position of the lever 71, which in turn operates through the unit 70 to change the speed of the motor 62. The unit 70 is conventional per se, and in itself forms no part of the present invention. It is merely typical of any suitable conventional means which may be employed to provide several different speeds for the electric motor 62. Thus, by the provision of means to change the speed of the motor 62 and the multiple step pulley 66, the speed of the flexible shaft 55 may be varied over a very wide range.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the speed reduction unit 60 comprises a housing 75 in which the output shaft 76 is journaled, said output shaft being drivingly connected to the input end of the flexible shaft 55. Secured on the shaft 76 is a worm gear 77 which meshes with a worm element 7 8 journaled horizontally in the top portion of the housing 75, the worm 78 being fixedly secured on the shaft 67, so that the worm is driven through the pulley unit 66, the belt 65 and the pulley 64 by the electric motor 62.

A substantially moisture proof, preferably transparent cover 80 is mounted on the plate 61, overlying the motor 62 and the speed reduction unit 60 supported therepn, the cover being suitably apertured at the lower portion of its main wall to receive the sheath 56 of flexible cable 55. The cover 80 is fastened on the margin of the main supporting plate 61 in any suitable manner. The top edge of plate 61 is provided with a pair of supporting eyes 82, 82 which may be engaged on hooks 83 provided on a vertical supporting wall 84 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 1. Between the eyes 82, 82 the top edge of plate 61 is provided with a carrying handle 85.

The plate 61 may he therefore supported in any convenient location adjacent to the area of intended use of the apparatus, for example, on a bath room wall, on a garage wall, or the like, merely by the provision of the pair of supporting hooks 83, 83 spaced to receive the eye members 82, 82.

In using the device, the plate member 81 is mounted on the hooks 83, 83 in the manner above described, and the supply cord 86 for the motor 62 is connected to any convenient nearby electrical receptacle. The desired mortor speed is then selected by means of the manually operated pull cable 72, so that the applicator element, such as the brush unit 37, oscillates at the desired speed.

As above mentioned, instead of employing a brush element 37, any other desired type of applicator may be employed, for example, the massage applicator 42 illustrated in FIGURE 7 and described above.

The apparatus may safely be used in locations subjected to considerable moisture, for example, in a bathroom, or in a garage where a car is being washed, since it is substantially moisture tight, and most of the moving parts thereof are completely shielded against the entry of moisture. The electrical parts are likewise shielded so that i there is minimum danger of short circuits or electrical shocks.

Since the rigid body 35 is detachably secured to the squared drive shaft element 32, it may be detached and any other desired body or applicator provided with a receiving socket 34 may be substituted.

While a specific embodiment of an improved mechanical brush device has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those 4 skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a mechanical brush, an elongated housing having mating top and bottom segments provided with opposing longitudinally-extending walls, a rack bar slidably mounted in said housing, a shaft journaled in said opposing Walls in one end of the housing transverse to said rack bar, a pinion gear secured on said shaft and meshing with said rack bar, said shaft having an externally projecting portion, extending through said bottom segment, a rotary applicator member detachably secured to said externally projecting portion, a generally U-shaped crank journaled in said opposing walls in the other end of said housing on an axis substantially parallel to said shaft and having a shaft portion extending through said top segment and having an intermediate bight portion, a link rod drivingly connecting said crank bight portion to said rack bar, whereby to reciprocate said rack bar responsive to rotation of said crank, an external drive motor, and transmission means connecting said crank shaft portion to said external motor.

2. In a mechanical brush device, an elongated housing having mating top and bottom segments with respective longitudinally-extending walls arranged in opposing relation to each other, a rack bar slidably mounted in said housing, a shaft journaled in said opposing walls in one end of said housing transverse to said rack bar, a pinion gear secured on said shaft and meshing wit-h said rack bar, said shaft having an externally projecting portion extending through said bottom segment, a rotary applicator member detachably secured to said externally projecting portion, a crank journaled in said opposing walls in the other end of said housing on an axis substantially parallel to said shaft and having a shaft portion extending through said top segment and having an intermediate bight portion, a link rod drivingly connecting said crank bight portion to said rack bar, whereby to reciprocate said rack bar responsive to rotation of said crank, an external drive motor, a gear reduction unit, and transmission means connecting said crank shaft portion to said drive motor through said gear reduction unit.

3. In a mechanical brush device, an elongated housing having mating top and bottom segments provided with respective longitudinally-extending walls arranged in opposition to each other, a rack bar slidably mounted in one end of said housing, a shaft journaled in said opposing walls in one end portion of the housing transverse to said rack bar, a pinion gear secured on said shaft and meshing with said rack bar, said shaft having an externally projecting portion extending through said bottom segment, a rotary applicator member detachably secured to said externally projecting portion, a crank journaled in said opposing walls in the other end portion of said housing on an axis substantially parallel to said shaft and having a shaft portion extending through said top segment and having an intermediate bight portion, a link rod drivingly connecting said crank bight portion to said rack bar, whereby to reciprocate said rack bar responsive to rotation of said crank, an external drive motor, a gear reduction unit mounted adjacent said motor, means drivingly connecting said motor to said gear reduction unit, and flexible shaft means drivingly connecting the gear reduction unit to said crank shaft portion.

4. In a mechanical brush device, an elongated housing having mating top and bottom segments provided with respective longitudinally-extending walls, said walls being arranged in opposition to each other, a rack bar slidably mounted in one end portion of said housing, a shaft journaled in said opposing walls in said one end portion of said housing transverse to said rack bar, a pinion gear secured on said shaft and meshing with said rack bar, said shaft having an externally projecting portion extending through said bottom segment, a rotary brush detachably secured to said externally projecting portion, a crank journaled in said opposing walls in the other end portion of said housing on an axis substantially parallel to said shaft and having a shaft portion extending through said top segment and having an intermediate bight portion, a link rod drivingly connecting said crank bight portion to said rack bar, whereby to reciprocate said rack bar in response to rotation of said crank, an external drive motor, a gear reduction unit mounted adjacent said motor, means drivingly connecting said motor to said gear reduction unit, and flexible shaft means drivingly connecting the gear reduction unit to said crank shaft portion.

5. In a mechanical brush device, an elongated substantially moisture proof housing having mating top and bottom segments provided with respective longitudinallyextending walls arranged in opposition to each other, a rack bar slidably mounted in said housing, means constraining said rack bar for longitudinal sliding movement in the housing, a shaft journaled in said opposing walls in one end of said housing transverse to said rack bar, a pinion gear secured on said shaft and meshing with said rack bar, said shaft having an externally projecting portion extending through said bottom segment, a rotary brush detachably secured to said externally projecting port-ion, a crank journaled in said opposing Walls in the other end of said housing on an axis substantially parallel to said shaft and having a shaft portion extending through said .top segment and having an intermediate bight portion, a link rod drivingly connecting said crank bight portion to said rack bar, whereby to reciprocate said rack bar responsive to rotation of said crank, an external drive motor, a gear reduction unit mounted adja cent said motor, means drivingly connecting said motor to said gear reduction unit, flexible shaft means drivingly connecting the gear reduction unit to said crank shaft portion, and a substantially moisture proof housing surrounding said motor and gear reduction unit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,411,140 3/1922 Vester 7477 X 1,555,522 9/1'925 Shapiro 15-23 1,630,084 5/ 1927 Holtzman 1529 3,039,123 6/ 1962 Brucker et al. 152 8 3,108,300 10/ 196 3 Richmond 1524 3,231,917 2/1966 Reed 15- 22 X CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

E. L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A MECHANICAL BRUSH, AN ELONGATED HOUSING HAVIN MATING TOP AND BOTTOM SEGMENTS PROVIDED WITH OPPOSING LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING WALLS, A RACK BAR SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND A SHAFT JOURNALED IN SAID OPPOSING WALLS IN ONE END OF THE HOUSING TRANSVERSE TO SAID RACK BAR, A PINION GEAR SECURED ON SAID SHAFT AND MESHING WITH SAID RACK BAR, SAID SHAFT HAVING AN EXTERNALLY PROJECTING PORTION, EXTENDING THROUGH SAID BOTTOM SEGMENT, A ROTARY APPLICATOR MEMBER DETACHABLY SECURED TO SAID EXTERNALLY PROJECTING PORTION, A GENERALLY U-SHAPED CRANK JOURNALED IN SAID OPPOSING WALLS IN THE OTHER END OF SAID HOUSING ON AN AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID SHAFT AND HAVING A SHAFT PORTION EXENDING THROUGH SAID TOP SEGMENT AND HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE BIGHT PORTION, TO LINK ROD DRIVINGLY CONNECTED SAID CRANK BIGHT PORTION TO SAID RACK BAR, WHEREBY TO RECIPROCATE SAID RACK BAR RESPONSIVE TO ROTATION OF SAID CRANK, AN EXTERNAL DRIVE MOTOR, AND TRANSMISSION MEANS CONNECTED SAID CRANK SHAFT PORTION TO SAID EXTERNAL MOTOR. 